ので

ので Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Conjunction

Essential Meaning: So / Since / Because

Construction: 

• (Verb / い-Adjective) informal + ので
  • E.g. 話はなすので [Because X speaks]
  • E.g. 高たかいので [Because X is expensive]

• (な-Adjective Stem / Noun) + [な / だった] + ので
  • E.g. 静しずかなので [Because X is quiet]
  • E.g. 先生せんせいなので [Because X is a teacher]

Notes:

• ので originated as the て-Form of のだ, but in modern Japanese it is used as a conjunction to indicate reason or cause.

• The conjunctions から and ので both basically mean “So”, “Because”, or “Since” to provide a reason or explanation. The difference between the two is that から is generally used for subjective reasons involving the speaker’s volition or opinion (e.g. speculation, suggestion, intention, request, opinion, volition, invitation, et cetera) while ので is used primarily for objective and clearly evident reasons. Furthermore, から focuses more on the reason (the first sentence), while ので focuses more on the resulting effect (i.e. the second sentence).

• ので is often used to provide a reason when one’s action may trouble others or when one is speaking apologetically (e.g. to a boss).
  • E.g. 体調たいちょうが悪わるいので、授業じゅぎょうに行いきません。[I am ill, so I unfortunately can’t go to work.]
  • E.g. 電車でんしゃが遅おくれたので、遅おくれます。[The train was late, so I will unfortunately be late as well.]
  • E.g. カギをなくしたので、みんなが入はいれませんでした。[I lost the key, so everyone was regrettably unable to enter.]

• ので is generally preferable in any case when speaking formally to a boss or someone of high social status. Verbs should be in a formal form to match the formality of ので.
  • E.g. 父ちちがイギリス人じんなので、英語えいごが話はなせます。[My father is British, so he is able to speak English.]
  • E.g. 図書館としょかんが静しずかなので、よく勉強べんきょうできます。[The library is quiet, so I can study well.]

• With から, it is acceptable to place the reason sentence after the main sentence. However, this is not acceptable with ので. This is to do with the fact that ので emphasizes the effect rather than the cause.
  • E.g. パーティーに一人ひとりで行いく。友達ともだちがいないから。[I will go to the party alone. It’s because I don’t have any friends.]
  • E.g. 日本語にほんごが上手じょうずですね。毎日まいにち勉強べんきょうしていますから。[You’re good at Japanese, aren’t you. It’s because you study every day.]
  • E.g. *パーティーに一人ひとりで行いく。友達ともだちがいないので。[I will go to the party alone. It’s because I don’t have any friends.] It is ungrammatical to use ので at the end of a sentence as in this example.

• For the same reason as above, ので is not used to reply to questions. から is used instead.
  • E.g. A: どうして疲つかれていますか。B: 昨日きのう、夜よる10時じまで仕事しごとをしていましたから。[A: How come you’re tired? B: Because yesterday I was working until 10 PM.]
  • E.g. *A: どうして疲つかれていますか。B: 昨日きのう、夜よる10時じまで仕事しごとをしていましたので。[A: How come you’re tired? B: Because yesterday I was working until 10 PM.]

• According to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, ので assumes that the information provided as a cause is valid and also assumes that the reasoning is evident and valid to the hearer. So ので can not be used in the following situations (から should be used instead).
  • (1) When the speaker is expressing a conjecture (e.g. with conjecture words such as だろう)
    • E.g. *人ひとがたくさんくるだろうので食たべ物ものをたくさん買かっておいた。 [I feel that many people will come, so I bought a lot of food to prepare.]
    • E.g. 人ひとがたくさんくるだろうから食たべ物ものをたくさん買かっておいた。 [Because I feel that many people will come, I bought a lot of food to prepare.]
  • (2) When the main clause is a command, request, suggestion, invitation, or expresses the speaker’s volition or opinion.
    • E.g. Command:
      • E.g. *この映画えいがはためになるので行いきなさい。[This movie is good for you, so go see it.]
      • E.g. この映画えいがはためになるから行いきなさい。[Because this movie is good for you, go see it.]
    • E.g. Request:
      • E.g. *あしたのショーは面白おもしろいのでぜひ見みにきてください。[Tomorrow’s show will be interesting, so by all means please come and see it.]
      • E.g. あしたのショーは面白おもしろいからぜひ見みにきてください。[Because tomorrow’s show will be interesting, by all means please come and see it.]
    • E.g. Suggestion:
      • E.g. *この本ほんはとても面白おもしろいのでみんなも読よんだほうがいいよ。[This book is really interesting, so everyone should read it.]
      • E.g. この本ほんはとても面白おもしろいからみんなも読よんだほうがいいよ。[Because this book is really interesting, everyone should read it.]
    • E.g. Invitation:
      • E.g. *いい酒さけをもらったので一緒いっしょに飲のみましょうか。[I received some good sake, so shall we drink it together?]
      • E.g. いい酒さけをもらったから一緒いっしょに飲のみましょうか。[Because I received some good sake, shall we drink it together?]
    • E.g. Volition:
      • E.g. *田中たなかさんが行いくのでぼくも行いく。[Tanaka-san is going, so I will go too.]
      • E.g. 田中たなかさんが行いくからぼくも行いく。[Because Tanaka-san is going, I will go too.]
    • E.g. Opinion:
      • E.g. *僕ぼくがよく知しっているので大丈夫だいじょうぶです。[I know it well, so it’s OK.]
      • E.g. 僕ぼくがよく知っているから大丈夫だいじょうぶです。[Because I know it well, it’s OK.]

• The で particle can also be used to indicate reason, but only following nouns and not to conjoin sentences as ので and から do.
  • E.g. 台風たいふうで家いえがたくさん倒たおれた。[Because of the typhoon, many houses were knocked down.]

Example Sentences:

お酒さけをたくさん飲のんだので眠ねむくなった。[I drank a lot of sake, so I became sleepy.]

宿題しゅくだいがたくさんあるのでパーティーに行いけません。[I have a lot of homework, so I can’t go to the party.]

その本ほんは高たかかったので買かわなかった。[That book was expensive, so I didn’t buy it.]

私わたしの部屋へやは静しずかなのでよく勉強べんきょうできます。[This room is quiet, so I can study well.]

ジェーンはまだ中学生ちゅうがくせいなので車くるまを運転うんてんできない。[Jen is still a junior high school student, so she can’t drive a car.]

WILD Examples:

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